Airstrip One

Blair's view - 30th November 2002, 21.37

Tony Blair, well informed about the developments on the continent and weathering the pressures of war with European change, made a keynote speech in Cardiff yesterday, welcoming enlargement. The text is here.

There is nothing in this speech to be welcomed, as Blair throws away what little sovereignty we have left, except on tax and the Charter of Rights. The Prime Minister maintains his wish to be a "leader in Europe" and not a follower like all of his predecessors. He repeats the list of lies that we hear so often about how good Europe has been for us. He would love to go into the Euro, economic circumstances permitting. On first reading, it appears to strengthen the intergovernmental agenda that Britain has supposed to have been promoting since 1997. It is deeply integrationist in its assumptions and goals. The main points are as follows:

1) A 'team presidency' with rotating candidates from all countries and a permanent President to provide continuity and leadership. This was a sop to the small countries to show that they would not be dominated by the 'Big Six'.

2) Transparency through the publication of national positions in councils. Wouldn't televising them be even better?

3) More QMV. The Eurodrug of choice.

4) Communitisation of the Justice and Home affairs pillar. This heralds Europol and continental police on our territory. Wave goodbye to the common law, habeas corpus and civil liberties.

5) Quicker fines from the Commission. Did Blair get tetchy over French beef?

6) No communitisation of defence or foreign policy. But, of course that is not the whole story...

7) "Again we need more Europe, not less. We need new decision making methods to get better value for money out of European defence budgets: strong peer review mechanisms; a European Defence Capability Development Agency, responsible to and run by the Member States, charged with identifying how capability gaps need to be filled and taking forward procurement projects to fill them; and further moves towards more open defence procurement to save on costly national protectionism."

8) A stronger European Parliament (but not Westminster), Commission and Council with plenty of Nulab nonsense but no actual gritty detail.

9) "We need a stronger Court of Justice.I agree with the strengthening proposed by a distinguished group of British Conservatives in their recent well-argued proposals." Presumably the usual suspects.

And finally, the goal chosen is one that is already lost but our government is unwilling to recognise this fact.

The essence of unity, in my view, is to regard Europe as it grows in power, as a partner with the United States; not either its servant or its rival. (from the passage on defence)

This is a one-off opportunity for reform: to set Europe on a clear course for the future, a Europe that as I have said before can be a superpower, if not a superstate. It is a future in which I want Britain to play its full and complete part. (Blair's closing words)

Never have I come so close to throwing my monitor out of the window at having to read this list of crap. This bloody idiot hasn't learnt his lesson and he's going to throw everything away because he thinks he can smarm both Europe and the States.

I'd say "God help us" if I believed in him.